The Centre on Monday announced setting up of a slew of new hospitals and expansion plans for several existing ones to bolster health care facility in West Bengal.

“Three new government medical colleges — BS Medical College in Bankura, Government Medical College in Malda and North Bengal Medical College —- would come at an expenditure of Rs 150 crore each. Of the total cost, the Centre would contribute Rs 120 crore for each of the colleges,” Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

He said that the Centre has approved another Rs 120 crore for the upgradation of Calcutta Medical College into a super specialty hospital.

He was speaking after inaugurating the dual-energy linear accelerator at the centrally-funded Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) for advanced therapy.

Azad said another Rs 535 crore has been approved for the upgradation of CNCI, including putting up its 460-bed second campus at Rajarhat.

Besides, there would be strengthening and upgradation of government medical colleges so that the number of seats could be increased . “At least 466 additional seats will be created for which Rs 169 crore (centre’s share is Rs 127 crore) has been allotted,” he said.

Azad said that under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), there would be special focus on the urban poor. He said 32 towns of the state with a population of 50,000 or more were covered under the NUHM in 2013-14.